| Tinospora cordifolia | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Menispermaceae |
| Genus: | Tinospora |
| Species: | T. cordifolia |
| Binomial name | |
| Tinospora cordifolia (Thunb.) Miers | |
Tinospora cordifolia, the heart-leaved moonseed, [1] is a herbaceous vine of the family Menispermaceae native to South and Southeast Asia. It has been used in Ayurveda to treat various disorders. [1]
It is a large, deciduous, extensively-spreading, climbing vine with several elongated twining branches. Leaves are simple, alternate, and exstipulate with long petioles up to 15 cm (6 in) long which are roundish and pulvinate, both at the base and apex with the basal one longer and twisted partially and half way around. It gets its name heart-leaved moonseed by its heart-shaped leaves and its reddish fruit. Lamina are broadly ovate or ovate cordate, 10–20 cm (4–8 in) long or 8–15 cm (3–6 in) broad, seven nerved and deeply cordate at base, membranous, pubescent above, whitish tomentose with a prominent reticulum beneath.
Flowers are unisexual, small on separate plants and appearing when the plant is leafless, greenish-yellow on axillary and terminal racemes. Male flowers are clustered, but female flowers are usually solitary. It has six sepals in two series of three each. The outer ones are smaller than the inner. It has six petals which are smaller than sepals, obovate, and membranous. Fruits aggregate in clusters of one to three. They are ovoid smooth drupelets on thick stalks with sub terminal style scars, scarlet or orange colored. [2]
Endophytic fungi colonize the living, internal tissues of their host without causing any harmful effects. A recent study has shown that 29 endophytes belonging to different taxa were present in the samples collected from Tinospora cordifolia. [3]
Tinospora cordifolia contains diverse phytochemicals, including alkaloids, phytosterols, glycosides, tinosporide, and various other phytochemicals. [1] [4]
Although used in Ayurveda over centuries in the belief that Tinospora has medicinal properties, [5] there is no evidence from reviews of clinical research to indicate that it has any effect. [1]
During the 2020–22 COVID-19 outbreak in India, the Ministry of AYUSH recommended use of T. cordifolia ("giloy") as a home remedy for immune support, [6] but such a practice appeared to be associated with hepatitis cases among six people in Mumbai who used boiled or capsule preparations of the plant. [6] [7] [8] [9]
Bergenia is a genus of ten species of flowering plants in the family Saxifragaceae, native to central Asia, from Afghanistan to China and the Himalayan region.
Ficus benjamina, commonly known as weeping fig, benjamin fig or ficus tree, and often sold in stores as just ficus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae, native to Asia and Australia. It is the official tree of Bangkok. The species is also naturalized in the West Indies and in the states of Florida and Arizona in the United States. Its small fruit are favored by some birds. Ficus tree has shown to have environmental benefits in urban areas like being a biomonitor. The plant also has allergens associated with it.
Sida cordifolia is a perennial subshrub of the mallow family Malvaceae native to India. It has naturalized throughout the world, and is considered an invasive weed in Africa, Australia, the southern United States, Hawaiian Islands, New Guinea, and French Polynesia. The specific name, cordifolia, refers to the heart-shaped leaf.
A furanolactone is a heterocyclic chemical compound that contains both lactone and furan rings in its chemical structure.
Menispermaceae is a family of flowering plants. The alkaloid tubocurarine, a neuromuscular blocker and the active ingredient in the 'tube curare' form of the dart poison curare, is derived from the South American liana Chondrodendron tomentosum. Several other South American genera belonging to the family have been used to prepare the 'pot' and 'calabash' forms of curare. The family contains 78 genera with some 440 species, which are distributed throughout low-lying tropical areas with some species present in temperate and arid regions.
Commiphora wightii, with common names Indian bdellium-tree, gugal, guggal, guggul, gugul, or mukul myrrh tree, is a flowering plant in the family Burseraceae, which produces a fragrant resin called gugal, guggul or gugul, that is used in incense and vedic medicine. The species is native to western India, from where it was introduced westward to southern Pakistan and the middle-east. It prefers arid and semi-arid climates and is tolerant of poor soil.
Calotropis gigantea, the crown flower, is a species of Calotropis native to Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, China, Pakistan, and Nepal.
Angophora hispida grows as a mallee, or as a tree to about 7 m (25 ft) in height. A. hispida's small size, especially when compared to its Angophora and Eucalyptus relatives, leads to it being known by the common name dwarf apple. It is native to a relatively small patch of central New South Wales – from just south of Sydney up to the Gosford area. The plant's leaves are sessile (stalk-less) and hug the stem with heart-shaped bases. Its previous name – A. cordifolia – referred to these cordate leaves. Another distinctive feature is the red bristly hairs that cover the branchlets, flower bases and new growth. This leads to the specific epithet hispida.
Swietenia macrophylla, commonly known as mahogany, Honduran mahogany, Honduras mahogany, or big-leaf mahogany is a species of plant in the Meliaceae family. It is one of three species that yields genuine mahogany timber (Swietenia), the others being Swietenia mahagoni and Swietenia humilis. It is native to South America, Mexico and Central America, but naturalized in the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and Hawaii, and cultivated in plantations and wind-breaks elsewhere.
Rubia cordifolia, known as Indian madder, is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. It has been cultivated for a red pigment derived from roots.
The Ministry of Ayush, a ministry of the Government of India, is responsible for developing education, research and propagation of traditional medicine and alternative medicine systems in India. Ayush is a name devised from the names of the alternative healthcare systems covered by the ministry: ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa, and homeopathy.
Palmatine is a protoberberine alkaloid found in several plants including Coptis Chinensis, Corydalis yanhusuo, Tinospora cordifolia, Tinospora sagittata, Phellodendron amurense, and Stephania yunnanensis.
Bergenia crassifolia is a species of flowering plant of the genus Bergenia in the family Saxifragaceae. Common names for the species include heart-leaved bergenia, heartleaf bergenia, leather bergenia, winter-blooming bergenia, elephant-ears, elephant's ears, Korean elephant-ear, badan, pigsqueak, Siberian tea, and Mongolian tea.
Clerodendrum infortunatum, known as bhat or hill glory bower, is a perennial shrub belonging to the family Lamiaceae, also sometimes classified under Verbenaceae. It is the type species among ~150 species of Clerodendrum. It is one of the most well-known natural health remedies in traditional practices and siddha medicine.
Tinosporide is a chemical compound classified as a diterpenoid and a furanolactone. It was first isolated from the plant Tinospora cordifolia, from which it derives its name. It has since been found in other plants of the genus Tinospora, such as Tinospora glabra.
BGR-34 is an Ayurvedic-derived product that is sold in India as an over-the-counter pill for the management of type 2 diabetes. It was developed in 2015 by two government-owned laboratories and launched commercially in 2016. It has been tested in only one, modest-sized, human trial. The drug has been heavily criticized, and without more clinical trials, its efficacy remains unproven. The manufacturers have refused to acknowledge the claims of inefficacy and other concerns.
Prunus himalayana, called jyokun shin in Tibetan and 喜马拉雅臭樱 in Chinese, is a species of Prunus native to Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Tibet. It prefers to grow 2,800 to 4,200 m above sea level in the Himalayas. As Maddenia himalaica it was the type species for the now unrecognized genus Maddenia.
Passiflora quetzal is a species of flowering plant native to Mexico and Guatemala described in 2004. It is named after the quetzal, which inhabits the area.
Acer distylum, the lime-leaved maple or linden leaved maple, is a species of flowering plant in the family Sapindaceae, native to north Honshu Island of Japan. Its closest relative is Acer nipponicum, with which it is grouped in the Acer section Parviflora. The species is noted for its 10–15 cm (4–6 in) unlobed leaves, the like of which are not found in any other maple species. The bark is grayish, and has a pink cast in young specimens. Acer distylum was first described by Philipp Franz von Siebold and Joseph Gerhard Zuccarini in 1845, and later brought to Europe by Charles Maries in 1879.
Centella cordifolia, commonly known as swamp pennywort or arthritis herb, is a trailing perennial herb native to Australia. The species is common in preferred local environments. It potentially has medicinal purposes and indigenous cultural significance. C. cordifolia can be sourced commercially at Australian plant nurseries.